Review by: Emil Pagliarulo
Published: April 10, 1998

Front Line Fighters. The name conjures up images of…nothing? Okay, so maybe you haven’t heard of Front Line Fighters, but don’t leave just let yet. What about F-16 Fighting Falcon or Apache Longbow? Heard of those? No? Wait, don’t go! I can explain! Front Line Fighters is actually a compilation, a collection of three older Interactive Magic games that will likely raise the adrenaline level of any military flight sim enthusiast. Included in the package are Apache Longbow (formerly called Apache), Hind, and F-16 Fighting Falcon (formerly called iF-16) and its Afghanistan add-on campaign. Published by Digital Integration, Front Line Fighters contains all the excitement and gameplay offered by the original releases, with one very long-awaited addition — 3Dfx accelerated graphics.

When they were first released a couple of years ago, Hind and Apache quickly shot to the top of the flight sim charts, and for good reason. Both offered realistic flight models, crisp SVGA graphics, digitized speech, and gameplay suited for experts and novices alike. The reception of iF-16, which wasn’t all that long ago, was a little less warm than that of its two cousins, mainly because it hit a market currently saturated with good military flight sims. Still, its addition to Front Line Fighters is welcome, and helps to balance out the other two games.

Apache Longbow is a simulation of the United States’ AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter. It is, in more ways than one, an odd type of flight simulator, because it manages to offer such varying gameplay experiences. On the most basic level, Apache Longbow is an action shooter. The player can simply hop into the cockpit and begin immediately engaging enemies, in a sort of unlimited gauntlet of helicopter combat. But for those who so choose, the game is so much more — a true helicopter simulation with the features, flight model, and missions to prove it. After learning the basics at Fort Hood, the player can advance to standalone single missions, or enter into one of three full campaigns, which take place in Yemen, Korea, and Cyprus. Multiplayer pilots will also feel themselves at home, and Apache Longbow even allows for two players to fly cooperatively, with one occupying the pilot’s seat and the other taking over all of the co-pilot/gunner functions.

For a truly original experience, there’s Hind, a simulation of the Russian Hind helicopter. Originally released after Apache as sort of a half-sequel, the game makes some really vast improvements over its predecessor while offering its own unique gaming experience. Hind gives the gamer a chance to experience modern helicopter warfare from the other side, with all the technology and resources at the disposal of the “bad guys.” Flying the Hind, especially on its maximum realism settings is quite a challenge, and a far cry from the fly-by-wire technology of the Apache. Probably the best thing about the game, though, is the inclusion of infantry troops, which can attack, deploy, and basically do anything you’d expect soldiers to do. Hind basically offers all the same menu options as Apache Longbow, including cooperative multiplayer, as well as campaigns in Kazakstan, Korea, and Afghanistan.

The final game in the collection, F-16 Fighting Falcon, takes Front Line Fighters in a new direction. A simulator of, no surprise here, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, it offers many of the same combat options as the two helicopter titles, including full multiplayer capabilities and a “quickstart” mode that quickly gets the player into the action, as well as campaigns in Israel, Korea, Cyprus, and Afghanistan. F-16 Fighting Falcon also offers much more realistic terrain than either Apache Longbow or Hind, and of course the flight characteristics of a fixed-wing aircraft like the F-16 totally change the type of gameplay offered by the title.

Front Line Fighters is a really solid collection, especially for helicopter sim nuts. I’ve found myself totally hooked on Hind, and the totally unique type of flight experience it offers. Add to that the countless missions offered by Apache Longbow and F-16 Fighting Falcon, and you’ve got yourself one great value.